Podcast, 46 mins
Diversity Drop: What’s Happening in Young Adult Fiction Now?
Diversity in children's books is falling after years of growth. Hear writers and experts discuss how Young Adult fiction is responding.
Part of Ideas Alive, Off the Shelf
4 Nov 2025 18:00
There has been a steep drop in diversity in children’s literature, bucking the trend of years of steady increase.
How is Young Adult literature responding to the politicisation of diversity?
Dr Aneesh Barai, Professor Karen Sands-O’Connor, author and columnist Dr Darren Chetty and award-winning author Sita Brahmachari, discuss their creative and critical writing about diverse youths in literature.
Credits
- Host: Dr Aneesh Barai (Lecturer in Education and Children's Culture at the University of Sheffield)
- Guest: Professor Karen Sands-O’Connor (Visiting Professor of Education at the University of Sheffield)
- Guest: Dr Darren Chetty (Lecturer in English Education at University College London)
- Guest: Sita Brahmachari (Author)
- Podcast Producer: Kitty Turner